Screeches echoed around the clearing as multiple hostile Imps gathered at the entrance of the camp. Nathan ran a quick head count—the tally was twenty-four imps, including the Master Imps.

Nathan didn't have any idea how he was going to handle this. Yes, he was stronger than them, but even enough rats could take down a human, and the imps certainly were dangerous. They had the numbers on their side; sometimes quantity over quality was the best option.

Not even waiting for Nathan to drum up a plan, they charged at him. While he'd never believed himself to be a coward, he certainly wasn't going to intentionally get into a losing battle. In that vein, Nathan turned and ran into the camp. He ran as far as he could, the mayhem hot at his heels.

Divide and conquer.

Nathan needed them to separate into groups—it'd be easier for him to kill them that way. Unfortunately for Nathan, the Master Imps seemed to have the same line of thinking, chasing him through the camp. He almost cursed his luck; the Imps were hot on his heels, and the head start he'd gotten was starting to become less and less obvious as they gradually closed the distance. He needed to make a stand, and he knew just the place.

Nathan ducked into the Master Imps' quarters, standing a few steps inside the entrance, his sword pointed at the incoming mayhem. The reasoning behind the choice of location was quite simple: the hallway wasn't wide enough to let more than three imps in at a time. A detail that made the incoming mayhem seem less deadly.

The Master Imps stopped, letting their minions run around them headed straight for Nathan—headed straight to their deaths. The first set of imps that tried to get Nathan were four who attempted to squeeze through the doorway, their bodies getting stuck in the rush. Nathan's sword cleaved through the four easy targets as he freed up the doorway for others to try. He was more than midway through to the next level; he could feel it.

The other imps seemed to have learned from the mistake of their predecessors as only three tried to get into the hallway. Nathan's sword tore through their bodies like they were Swiss cheese. A mad grin spread on his face—of course, the right strategy would make things vastly easier. As it was, none of the imps had managed to score a single hit on him before being taken down.

Something that Nathan knew wouldn't have been the case if he had decided to fight in the clearing. Right now, they were literally throwing themselves at his blade. More imps replaced the ones he'd killed, and others replaced the replacements until Nathan was left looking at the remaining two Master Imps from afar.

Master Imp (lesser demon)

Level 8

Master Imp (lesser demon)

Level 8

Neither one looked like they were going to come for Nathan; they looked uncertain. He'd just have to goad them into coming into the hallway. Stepping away from the bodies that had started to pile at the doorway, Nathan made space for the Master Imps to battle him.

He'd taken advantage of his surroundings, making them pay for their loss of self-control. He waved his sword at the Imps with a beckoning motion. The purple glow of the sky streaming through the hole in the ceiling reflected off his blade.

The Master Imps exchanged screeches between themselves, probably discussing tactics before battling the madman. Nathan, on the other hand, was already secure with the knowledge that taking down any one of them would level him up. The screeching came to an end, and they both rushed in through the doorway one after the other, their feet stomping upon their fallen minions as they made their way to Nathan.

Nathan slashed at the first Imp; it dodged the swing. Sidestepping Nathan and getting behind him while the second was in front of him—a smart move if Nathan was still level seven, but as it was, he was at nine heading for ten.

Nathan put his back to the side wall, trying his best to keep both Imps in his field of vision. He swung his sword at the Imp on his right, thinking it best to start with the one facing the exit.

It tried to put up a hand to defend itself, but Nathan's sword cut through that and its torso, killing it instantly. Euphoria passed through him, but he dismissed the feeling. Nathan had been half expecting to receive a clawed attack from the other imp, but it seemed to have gotten on its knees, grasping for something at the far end of the hallway. Nathan couldn't tell what, and he didn't care—he began walking calmly towards the Master Imp on the floor.

It seemed to have found what it was looking for. It faced Nathan, still on its knees, as it raised a folded clawed hand in his direction and started to screech loudly with its eyes closed. Something shiny must've been within its grasp as Nathan saw purple glinting off whatever was within it. He couldn't be bothered that much though; the imp was going to die regardless of its screeches.

Nathan was prepared to swing when he felt an oppressive heat envelop him, with yellowish light flooding the entire hallway. It seemed to be coming from the imp's clawed hand.

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What the hell?

Hell was right—Nathan felt like his entire body was on fire. What had the imp done?

You are currently within the gaze of Demon Lord Taloth.

Demon Lord Taloth has cast a 20% stat debuff on you. You have suffered a 20% penalty on all stats for two minutes.

Timer: 1:59

With those parting words, the notification disappeared, and so did the yellow light and the oppressive heat. In its place was a now standing and grinning Master Imp.

Ah, shit!

A twenty percent debuff on all skills would mean that he was probably at level six to seven power—well below what he needed to fight this damned thing, and it knew it.

It wasn't looking good for him. On the flip side, the system had given him a lifeline: all he had to do was survive two minutes with the Master Imp, and he'd be back to full strength.

Nathan had to put space between himself and the Master Imp. He made it two steps backward before the Imp charged at him, claws flashing out.

Nathan tried to dodge, as he was well aware that he couldn't possibly defend himself from that slash—the power gap between them was no longer in his favor.

It was as if Nathan was watching it happen in slow motion. The claws raked through his chest; he'd gotten too comfortable with his faster reflexes. His dexterity couldn't keep up with the slash as his timing was way off, the debuff throwing him off balance even before the claws tore through him, the force behind it throwing him onto the floor.

He landed atop the piles of dead imps, their slick blood slimy against his back. Nathan struggled to stand up but almost fell because of the slippery black blood on the floor. He scrambled to get to his feet desperately—he needed to get away from this monster.

Nathan wasn't proud of what he did next, but he had to survive, and he didn't think the Imps would mind that much. Nathan picked up dead bodies from the pile, hurling them at the incoming Master Imp.

Some of the bodies had been cut in half, courtesy of Nathan, of course. It made chucking them at the Master Imp much messier than it should've been, but Nathan didn't mind—he needed this to get messy and hopefully drag out long enough for him to lose the debuff. Guts and blood poured out from the dead imps' bodies as he kept throwing them at the Master Imp, who batted away the bodies with ease.

It let out the trademark horrible screech he'd come to associate with imps before charging straight at him. Nathan hoped and prayed that the imp would slip and fall from all the blood and viscera that littered the floor—it didn't.

Nathan received an upward-clawed slash from the Master Imp. The slash started at his belly button and went up to his chest, the power behind the attack tossing Nathan completely out of the Master's quarters, his body hitting the dirt outside with an audible thud.

Warning: 75% health remaining

The claws hadn't gone deep enough to rip his guts out, but it still hurt like crazy. Nathan had to bite his tongue to keep from screaming. Pain wracked him from head to toe, and it was all Nathan could do to get on his feet.

Somehow he'd managed to keep his grip on his sword. The blasted thing was more useless in this battle than he was, and more than once Nathan contemplated throwing the damned thing away and using his fists for the battle. He stopped himself though—it wouldn't do to survive the two minutes and then be without his sword for payback.

The Master Imp stepped out of the Master's quarters with a certain swagger he wasn't aware the infernal monsters could possess. An ugly grin plastered on its repulsive face, the imp's claws dripping with blood—Nathan's blood. It walked up to Nathan's defiant form slowly, eager to humble him.

Nathan couldn't even run; he'd be caught within seconds. His best hope of surviving this was to allow the damned thing to gloat in its own way. He'd be smart to allow it to feel powerful. It was toying with him, and as much as Nathan hated the fact, it was his best shot at outlasting the debuff.

He rushed at the Master Imp, sword poised for an overhead strike and head raised in defiance. The imp sidestepped the attack, both of its clawed hands digging into his back. Nathan's body was flung a couple of feet forward, his back on fire.

Warning: 50% health left

Nathan was on the losing side of this battle, and he needed something to urgently change, or he was doomed.

Timer: 0:47

He just needed to survive forty-six more seconds, and he'd lose the debuff. The Master Imp probably realized that it was quickly running out of time to end him. It started a charge at Nathan, and this time he didn't think it wanted to just injure him—it was going for the kill.

Nathan had started to acclimatize to his debuff, so this time when the claws came, he dived on time. The claws caught him in the legs. The imp didn't give Nathan the chance to get on his feet though.

It went for another slash on his body on the floor. Nathan barely managed to raise his sword in time, using both hands to support the blade as it intercepted the clawed hand going for his throat. Nathan felt tremors pass through his body as sword and clawed hand met, the power behind the imp's attack rattling his teeth.

Nathan watched in horror as the Imp raised its other clawed hand and slashed at his exposed chest. Nathan's life flashed before his eyes as the claws descended unimpeded. There was no way he was going to be able to dodge that. He could almost see the white light that people said they saw when on the brink of death.

The claws dug into Nathan's chest, the power behind them making him feel like his chest was about to cave in. The imp pulled back its claws, ready to deliver the killing blow. What a run he'd had—Nathan was ready to give up when a familiar blue screen popped up.

Critical Warning: 23% health remaining

Blood rebellion triggered

Debuff on all stats reduced to ten percent

Go time.

Nathan wished he had his phone with him so that he could take a picture of the imp's face when he flashed it a weak grin, its confusion a sight to behold. He felt his strength flooding into him—ten percent of his stats had been released back to him, courtesy of blood rebellion.

He unwrapped his second hand from his blade and delivered a punch straight at the Demon, satisfied with the resounding crack that echoed around the clearing. The punch threw the imp off him. Nathan scrambled to get back on his feet, sword pointed at the Imp when a new screen appeared in front of him.

Timer: 0:00

Debuff dispelled, 20% penalty removed.